How to Unblock Someone on Snapchat (2026 Step-by-Step)

Blocking someone on Snapchat is a clean break: they can’t find your profile, message you, or see your Story. Unblocking reverses that visibility, but there’s one detail almost everyone gets caught by — unblocking does not automatically make you friends again. Snapchat removes the friendship when you block, so after unblocking you have to search for the person and re-add them from scratch.

This guide covers the whole thing: exactly where the Blocked list lives, how to unblock on any device, how to re-add someone afterward, what gets restored (and what’s gone for good, like Snapstreaks), and how to handle the snags — an empty Blocked list, a forgotten username, or Snapchat’s block/unblock cooldown.

In short: Open your profile, tap the gear icon for Settings, scroll to Blocked, tap the X or Unblock next to the name, and confirm. Then search their username and re-add them, because unblocking alone doesn’t restore the friendship.

What Happens When You Unblock Someone

Unblocking rolls back the block, but only the visibility part. Here’s the real picture:

• They can find you again. Your profile becomes searchable to them, and they can send a friend request or a Snap once you’re connected.
• You are not friends anymore. Blocking removed the friendship. Unblocking does not bring it back — you’ll both need to re-add each other.
• Nobody gets a notification. Snapchat doesn’t tell people when they’re blocked or unblocked. There’s no alert either way.
• Your old chat history may be gone. Blocking clears the conversation. Unblocking won’t resurrect saved messages that were removed.
• Snapstreaks are lost. A streak ends the moment you block. Unblocking and re-adding starts a brand-new streak from zero.

So think of unblocking as reopening the door, not rebuilding the room. You get access back; you don’t get the history back.

How to Unblock Someone

The Blocked list lives in Settings, and the flow is the same on iPhone and Android.

On iPhone and Android

1. Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon in the top-left corner.
2. Tap the gear icon in the top-right to open Settings.
3. Scroll down to the Privacy Controls section (on some versions it’s under Account Actions) and tap Blocked.
4. You’ll see a list of everyone you’ve blocked. Tap the X next to the person’s name (some versions show an Unblock button instead).
5. Confirm when prompted. The person is removed from your Blocked list immediately.

That’s it — they can now find and interact with you again, subject to your normal privacy settings.

On Snapchat Web

Snapchat Web at web.snapchat.com exposes some account settings, though not every account has full parity:

1. Sign in at web.snapchat.com.
2. Open Settings from your profile menu.
3. Look for Blocked or Privacy and open your blocked list.
4. Select the person and choose Unblock.

If the web version doesn’t show a Blocked list for your account, use the mobile app — it always has the option.

Re-Adding Them as a Friend After Unblocking

Unblocking clears the block, but you’re still not connected. To reconnect:

1. Tap the search bar at the top of the Snapchat screen.
2. Type their exact username (not their display name — the username is the permanent handle).
3. Tap their profile in the results and tap Add.
4. They’ll get a friend request. Once they accept (or if you accept theirs), you’re friends again.

If your privacy is set so only friends can contact you, the other person may need to add you first, or you’ll need to add them — a block doesn’t change your general privacy rules, it just previously hid you from that one person.

What If You Can’t Find Them Afterward

Because blocking removed them from your friend list, they won’t reappear in your contacts after unblocking. To re-add them you need a way to locate the account:

• Their exact username. This is the reliable route. Display names can change and aren’t searchable the same way.
• A shared group chat. If you’re both still in a group, you can open their profile from the member list and add them there.
• A mutual friend. A friend you share can send you their profile so you can add it directly.

If you don’t have any of these, there’s no back door — Snapchat doesn’t keep a “recently unblocked” shortcut to re-add people.

Block, Remove Friend, and Mute Are Not the Same

People often reach for “block” when a softer tool would do. Here’s how they differ:

Action	They can see your Story	They can message you	Shows in your friends	Reversible cleanly
Block	No	No	No (removed)	Unblock, then re-add
Remove friend	Depends on privacy	Depends on privacy	No (removed)	Just re-add
Mute / hide Story	Yes	Yes	Yes	Toggle back instantly

If you only want to stop seeing someone’s Story or notifications without cutting ties, muting is far less disruptive than blocking — and it doesn’t cost you the friendship or the streak.

The Block/Unblock Cooldown

Snapchat limits how quickly you can block and unblock the same person. If you’ve been toggling someone on and off, you may hit a temporary restriction that asks you to wait before you can re-add or re-block them. This is an anti-abuse measure, and the wait is usually short — give it a day and try again. There’s no way to skip it.

Will They Know You Blocked or Unblocked Them?

No direct notification is ever sent. That said, an observant person might infer a block from the side effects: your profile disappears from their friend list, your Snaps and chats vanish, an active Snapstreak dies, and searching your username turns up nothing. When you unblock and re-add, they’ll simply see a new friend request — there’s no label saying “you were unblocked.”

What Unblocking Does Not Restore

Set expectations before you unblock hoping to pick up where you left off:

• Snapstreaks start over at zero.
• Old chat messages that were cleared by the block don’t come back.
• Charms, friendship badges, and the Friendship Profile reset with the new friendship.
• Your spot in their friends list is gone until they re-add you.

Everything social rebuilds from the moment you reconnect, not from where you were before the block.

Troubleshooting

My Blocked list is empty but I know I blocked someone. Make sure you’re looking under Settings → Blocked. If it’s genuinely empty, the block may have already been cleared, or you blocked them from a different account. Pull to refresh and check your connection.

There’s no X or Unblock button. Update Snapchat from the App Store or Play Store — older builds occasionally hide the control. Force-quit and reopen after updating.

I unblocked them but still can’t add them. You may be in the block/unblock cooldown. Wait a day and try again. Also confirm you’re searching the correct username.

I can’t remember their username. Check any group chats you share, or ask a mutual friend to send you their profile. Without the username or a shared connection, you can’t locate the account.

The Blocked list won’t load. It syncs over the internet. Switch from cellular to Wi-Fi, or restart the app. As a last resort, clear the app cache in Settings → Account Actions → Clear Cache — this won’t delete anything important.

I unblocked the wrong person. No harm done — unblocking doesn’t add them back or notify them. If you want them blocked again, open their profile, tap the menu, and choose Block (subject to the cooldown).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does unblocking someone add them back as a friend? No. Unblocking only removes the block. You have to search their username and re-add them to be friends again.

Will the person be notified when I unblock them? No. Snapchat never notifies anyone about being blocked or unblocked.

Can I get my Snapstreak back after unblocking? No. Streaks end when you block and can’t be recovered. Re-adding starts a new streak from zero.

Where is the Blocked list on Snapchat? Profile icon, then the gear icon for Settings, then scroll to Blocked under Privacy Controls (or Account Actions on some versions).

Why can’t I find the person after unblocking? Blocking removed them from your friends, so they don’t reappear automatically. You need their exact username, a shared group, or a mutual friend to re-add them.

Is there a limit on how often I can block and unblock? Yes. Snapchat applies a short cooldown to discourage rapid toggling. If you hit it, wait a day.

Will our old chats come back? No. Messages cleared by the block are gone; unblocking doesn’t restore them.

Do I lose anything by just muting instead of blocking? No — muting hides a person’s Story or notifications without removing the friendship, the chat history, or the streak. It’s the gentler option.

Can I unblock someone on a computer? Sometimes. Snapchat Web exposes some settings, but if the Blocked list isn’t there for your account, use the mobile app.

The Short Version

Open your profile, tap the gear icon, go to Blocked, and tap the X or Unblock next to the person. Then search their exact username and re-add them, because unblocking on its own doesn’t restore the friendship. Keep in mind that Snapstreaks and old chats don’t come back, nobody gets notified, and a brief cooldown may apply if you’ve been toggling the block on and off.